England Lioness Lucy Bronze is not only a master of football, but a master of colour, too, as her terracotta bedroom is evidence that she is an expert in creating a timeless and versatile colour scheme.
The summer has undoubtedly been about the women as England’s Lionesses battle it out for the Euros title. And amidst fangirling the players’ social media pages, I spotted defender Lucy Bronze’s expert use of one of the year’s hottest paint trends in her bedroom.
Terracotta, rich reds, smoky oranges and russets have all been an integral part of 2025’s colour palette, and Lucy’s beautiful bedroom walls are a masterclass on how to do it well. So well, I’ve even tracked down the closest colour matches so you can get the look, too.
If you’ve been wondering how to decorate with terracotta, I suggest you see Lucy Bronze’s bedroom as a starting point. The footballer has created a cosy and inviting space that makes you want to snuggle up all day in that room. Terracotta shades have boomed in popularity due to the rich sun-kissed effect they create, and her bedroom, looking like a permanent sunset, is proof of this.
‘Lucy Bronze’s bedroom is a beautiful showcase of the terracotta trend that’s set to be huge for 2025. The warm, earthy hue she’s chosen creates an inviting and cocooning atmosphere—perfect for a restful bedroom retreat,’ muses Victoria Robinson, style and trend expert at Hillarys.
‘It’s impossible not to feel instantly drawn in with this colour scheme—like you’ve just stepped into a sun-drenched Tuscan villa, even if it’s raining outside!’
(Image credit: Future PLC/ Sibohan Doran)
To get the look, Victoria suggests choosing Farrow and Ball’s ‘Red Earth’, which is: ‘a beautifully balanced, earthy terracotta that’s both rich and restful.’
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‘There’s something almost magnetic about these shades. They remind us of sunsets, Mediterranean holidays, and the simple joy of being outdoors. In a fast-paced, sometimes uncertain world, people are craving spaces that feel uplifting and comforting. Warm reds and oranges are proven to boost mood and create a sense of energy—no wonder they’re popping up everywhere!’ says Victoria.
(Image credit: Future PLC/ James French)
Lucy’s colour choice gives her bedroom an intimate and welcoming atmosphere, something most of us strive for when putting together our bedroom ideas. Paired with fresh green houseplants, rust colour bedding (I found a similar set for £130 at Dunelm), and wooden furniture, the end result is stylish, contemporary and most importantly cosy.
‘Colour has a huge emotional impact, especially in the spaces where we wind down. Warm reds, terracottas, and burnt oranges can bring a cocooning, intimate feel to a bedroom. Think sunset tones that feel grounding and calm, rather than overly energising,’ explains Lisa Hensby of Lisa Hensby Design & Build Studio.
‘The key is tone and placement. Go for muted, earthy versions (like clay, paprika, or rust) rather than bright, fire-engine red. These softer shades pair beautifully with natural textures – think rattan, linen, timber – and they create a lovely, warm glow especially in the evenings.’
Like Lucy has done, I’d recommend pairing your terracotta shades with linen bedding, rattan and wooden furniture and pops of colour via natural vessels such as houseplants. Here are some examples.
LA REDOUTE INTERIEURS
Linot Plain 100% Washed Linen Duvet Cover
Linen pairs perfectly with terracotta as they both have a grounded, down-to-earth feel. This rich brown colour will only emphasise the warmth and cosiness in your bedroom.
Jordyn Wide Bedside Table
Rattan is another material that has a natural, grounded feel. This bedside table is super stylish and will look fabulous with a terracotta backdrop.
Habitat
Habitat Emir Totum Mango Wood Table Lamp Base Only – Natural
I’m sure you’ll agree this Habitat lamp is beyond stunning. It’s warm, earthy and its brass features makes it look far more expensive than its price tag.
Now, when I cheer the Lionesses on at the football, I’ll also be celebrating my newfound inspiration for my bedroom colour scheme. Have you also been convinced to give terracotta a try?
As Ideal Home’s Sleep Editor, the one thing I do not have *any* shortage of is bedding.
After four years spent testing the best duvets, pillows, and all manner of duvet covers and sheets for our where to buy bedding guide, it’s fair to say I have bedding stashed in every conceivable corner of my home.
I’ll be brave and give you a peek into the current state of my linen cupboard below. But, needless to say, what I am in desperate need of by this stage is bedding organisation.
However, despite frequent donations to friends, family, and neighbours, I still easily have about twelve sets of bed linen lurking in my airing cupboard at any one time.
Plus, at last count, there were eight king-size duvets piled on top of the bed in my spare bedroom, all either just having been tested or waiting patiently to be put through Ideal Home’s duvet testing process.
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It’s a lot of bedding by anyone’s standards. Here’s how my linen cupboard currently looks, and this is after a pretty drastic clear-out and tidy recently.
(Image credit: Future / Amy Lockwood)
As such, I don’t so much need bedding storage; I need some kind of industrial-scale bedding storage intervention.
And as much as I’ve look wistfully at the ingenious bedding files Ideal Home’s Rebecca Knight has employed in her London flat, when I read about the two duvet cover rotation her and her partner employ, I knew this compact and space-saving storage solution wasn’t going to house my, errr… larger… collection of bedding.
Whilst my bedding situation is unusual – I’m pretty sure I’m the only person who lives alone and yet has twelve of the best mattress protectors and umpteen electric blankets hidden in their house – you don’t need that large of a family before the bedding situation soon adds up.
(Image credit: TIM YOUNG)
A master bedroom, two kids’ beds, and a guest bedroom soon means four sets of bedding. And if you have a summer and winter tog duvet for each bed – plus, at least one spare set of bedding for each when one is in the wash – then like me, your airing cupboard is probably fast threatening to smother you in a sea of loose sheets every time you open the door.
The joy of these particular Amazon bedding organisers, is that unlike the bedding files I’ve come across on Amazon, they’re large. They measure roughly H35 x W60 x D40cm each, and that means there’s plenty of room for a king-size duvet inside, plus some space to spare.
If you only need to store a double or a single duvet, that means there’s room to pack some bed linen into the storage cube, too. I even managed to squeeze three pillows into one bag without too much bulging at the seams. And thankfully, the zips feel robust, so I didn’t worry about overfilling them slightly.
(Image credit: Future / Amy Lockwood)
What’s even better, especially if you have a small bedroom like me, and not much space for storage ideas, is that, unlike the bedding files, these storage bags fold completely flat when they’re not in use. I also love that large window on the front that lets me easily identify what’s inside. You could always add a handwritten label if you want to be *really* organised.
If I had more bedrooms to worry about, I’d have one of these storage cubes dedicated to each bed. So a winter storage cube with a higher tog duvet and brushed cotton bedding, ready for the colder months, to be unpacked in October and put on the bed.
All in all, these storage bags have definitely transformed my bedding storage for the better. And at just £13.99 for three of the foldable storage boxes with lids, I think they’re a great investment. No wonder they have so many 5-star reviews on Amazon. In fact, I’m about to go and order some more.
Looking for a way to beat the heat and sleep better during the heatwave? Me too. That’s why I tested out the secret bedding trick that Indian Maharajas have been using for centuries to combat hot and humid nights, and it’s now my go-to heatwave solution.
Temperatures have soared to over 30°C in Britain for the second time this year, but in parts of India, summer temperatures regularly reach 45°C, plus the Indian monsoon season means sleepers also have to deal with high humidity.
The secret ingredient to how to stay cool in bed in the hot Indian climate is the ‘Dohar’. A bedding essential that has been used by Indian royalty for hundreds of years.
‘I first discovered Dohars while on a trip to India,’ shares Angel Skillman, founder of Shades of Cool London, one of the only UK stockists of traditional Dohars. ‘They were the go-to summer blanket during the monsoon season, used by everyone from everyday families to royalty.’
‘In fact, Dohars have been around for centuries. These Indian cotton blankets were once favoured by the Maharajas to keep cool during the heat and humidity of the monsoons, long before air-conditioning existed,’ reveals Angela.
(Image credit: Shades of Cool London)
So what exactly is a Dohar? ‘A Dohar is a lightweight, triple-layered blanket made from ultra-soft Mul Mul cotton,’ explains Angela.
‘Unlike duvets or weighted blankets, Dohars are designed to regulate body temperature – trapping cool air between their layers to combat night sweats, restless tossing, and the sleep disruption caused by overheating.’
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I usually sleep under the Woolroom Deluxe Washable Wool Duvet, which offers great breathability and temperature regulation year-round, but even this is too warm for the extremely hot and sticky heatwaves we’ve experienced recently.
I’ve also tried the Aussie sleep hack of sleeping under just a topsheet during hot nights, but although I slept cooler this way, I did miss the weight and comfort of having a heavier covering at night.
‘British summers can be unexpectedly warm, and it’s hard to find that perfect in-between layer – something more comforting than a top sheet but lighter than a duvet,’ agrees Angela.
Plus, there are those unpredictable British temperature fluctuations to take into account.
Recently, late evenings have reached the high twenties, but in the middle of the night, temperatures can drop to around 14°C. That means that despite the heat, when I’ve slept under just a top sheet, I’ve still woken a few times feeling chilly and reaching for the duvet once more.
(Image credit: Shades of Cool London)
‘Research shows the ideal temperature for sleep is around 18°C. As we rest, our body temperature drops, and anything too warm – or too cold – can interfere with deep sleep cycles’ says Angela. ‘The breathable, temperature-regulating design of the Dohar helps maintain that optimal sleep environment throughout the night, improving sleep quality and overall restfulness.’
This sounded like exactly the solution I needed, and having put this little-known Indian bedding to the test during the last heatwave that hit the UK, I can confirm that the Dohar does everything Angela suggests.
I didn’t expect a Dohar to make that much difference compared to a top sheet, but those layers of thin and airy fabric really did the trick in offering the perfect insulation throughout several hot and muggy nights.
I slept cool but never woke up feeling *too* cool. Plus, I found the Dohar’s slightly heavier weight just right.
‘The Dohar works with your body’s natural rhythms to help maintain the ideal sleep environment all night, even when the heat rises,’ explains Angela. ‘I honestly couldn’t be without one now – it’s our summer sleep essential.’
(Image credit: Shades of Cool London)
After testing, I have to agree. When I saw that the mercury was due to climb to over 30°C this week, the Dohar was the first thing I reached for.
There are other ways to cool down the bed – such as opting for the Slientnight Cooling Gel Body Pad, which offers an instant blast of coolness when you first get into bed – but if you’re considering how to sleep better all night long in the heat, the Dohar has become my go-to heatwave essential. After all, if it’s good enough for the Maharajas…
However, despite European sleeping hacks – such as the German Doppelbett sleeping method and the Scandi sleep hack of using two single duvets on a double bed – becoming more commonplace in the UK, this Indian sleep trick seems a whole lot less well-known, meaning there aren’t that many places you can currently buy a Dohar in the UK.
I’ve rounded up the best options I’ve come across below, including a high-street alternative that can *almost* replicate the three-layered mulmul cotton Dohar.
Shades of Cool London
Dohar
One of the only UK brands designing and producing authentic Dohars, Shades of Cool London source their Dohars in Jaipur, where the blankets are hand blocked using azo-free dyes to support traditional Indian craftsmanship.
Etsy
EssentialDesignsLDN Dohar
H&M
Muslin Duvet Cover Set – Single
If you don’t have a Dohar, you can make something similar if you use a lightweight and breathable duvet cover sans duvet. This muslin duvet cover is the closest I’ve found to light and airy mulmul cotton.
